Lord Krishna said: Since you have faith
in My words, I shall reveal to you the
most profound, secret, transcendental
knowledge, together with transcendental
experience. Knowing this, you will be
freed from the miseries of worldly exis­tence.
(9.01)

KNOWLEDGE
OF THE SUPREME IS THE BIGGEST MYSTERY

This Self-knowledge is the king of all
knowledge, is the most secret, is very
sacred, can be perceived by instinct,
conforms to righteousness (Dharma),
is very easy to practice, and is timeless.
(9.02)

O Arjuna, those who have no
faith in this knowledge do not attain
Me and follow the cycles of birth and
death. (9.03)
Everything is possible for the person
who has faith in God. Faith in the Supreme
power holds the key to un­lock the
gates of salvation.

This entire universe is an expansion
of, or pervaded by, My unmanifest aspect.
All beings depend on Me (like a gold
chain depends on gold and milk products
depend on milk). I do not depend on---or
become affected by---them because I
am the source of all. (See also 7.12,
15.18) (9.04)

There are two ways of looking at the
Eternal. From a dualistic viewpoint,
waves de­pend on the ocean; the
ocean does not depend on the waves.
But from a monist point of view, as
stated in verse 9.05 be­low, the
question of wave abiding in the ocean
or the ocean abiding in the wave does
not arise because there is no wave or
ocean. It is water only. Similarly everything
is a manifestation of the Spirit only
(Gita 7.19).

Look at the power of My divine mystery;
in reality, I---the sustainer and creator
of all beings---do not depend on them,
and they also do not depend on Me. (9.05)

(In fact, the gold-chain does not depend
on gold; the gold-chain is nothing but
gold. Also, matter and energy are different,
as well as non-different).

The wave is water, but the water is
not wave. The water has become the vapor,
the cloud, the rain, the ice, as well
as the bubble, the lake, the river,
the wave, and the ocean. These are nothing
but names of different forms (or transformations)
of water. From a monist viewpoint, there
is no ocean, no wave, and no lake, but
water only. The monist viewpoint does
not dismiss the perception of duality,
but dismisses only the reality of duality.

However, a wave is a wave as long as
it does not real­ize its true nature---that
it is not a wave but water. As soon
as a wave decisively realizes that it
is not a wave but water, the wave no
longer remains a wave, but be­comes
water without delay. (Also see verse
18.55). Similarly when one realizes
that he or she is not this physical
body---but the Eternal Being in the
form of Spirit residing inside the physical
body---one transcends physical body
and immediately be­comes one with
the Spirit without undergoing any physical
change. As a physical body,
one is mortal, limited by a form, with
color, gender, and temperament. But
as a part of the Spirit, one is free,
immortal, and limit­less. This is
called Nirvana, or salvation.

Know that all beings remain in Me---without
any visible contact or without producing
any effect---as the mighty wind (and
planets), moving everywhere, remains
ever in space. (9.06)

Gross objects, such as planets and stars,
remain in the subtle space without any
visible connection at all. Similarly
the entire universe, including space
itself, abides in the unified field
called Consciousness. Time has no access
to space; similarly Consciousness is
everlasting, indivisible, and unaffected
by everything going on in its field,
just as clouds do not make the sky wet.

THEORY OF
EVOLUTION AND INVOLUTION

All beings merge into My primary material
Nature at the end of a cycle of creation
(lasting just over 311 trillion solar
years called MahaKalpa), O Arjuna; and
I create them again at the beginning
of the next cycle. (See also 8.17) (9.07)

As a spider spreads out the web from
within, plays in it, and again draws
the web into itself, similarly the Eternal
Being (or Spirit) creates the material
world from itself, plays in it as living
entity, and takes it into itself during
complete dissolution (BP 11.09.21 and
12.04.01-43). All manifestations are
born, sustained, and finally merge in
Spirit as bubbles of water are born,
sustained, and merge in water. Spirit
manifests itself into the universe by
using its own internal power without
the help of any external agent. It is
possible for one Spirit---by virtue
of posses­sing diverse powers---to
be transformed into multiplicity without
any outside help. Spirit (or the Eternal
Being) is thus both the efficient and
the material cause of creation.

I create the entire multitude of be­ings
again and again with the help of My
material Nature. These beings are under
control of the modes of material Nature.
(9.08)

These acts of creation do not bind Me,
O Arjuna, because I remain in­different
and unattached to those acts. (9.09)
The divine kinetic energy (Maya)---with
the help of material Nature, Prakriti---creates
all animate and inanimate objects under
My supervision; thus, the creation keeps
on going, O Arjuna. (See also 14.03)
(9.10)

THE WAYS
OF THE WISE AND OF THE IGNORANT ARE
DIFFERENT

Ignorant persons disregard Me when I
take Avatar in human form because they
do not know My transcendental nature
as the great Lord of all beings (and
take Me for an ordinary human being),
and because they have false hopes, false
actions, false knowledge, and delusive
(Tamasika) qualities (See 16.04-18)
of fiends and demons (they are unable
to recognize Me). (9.11-12)

When Lord Krishna was here on this earth,
in spite of accomplishing many transcendental
and extraordinary feats, only a few
people were able to recognize Him as
an incarnation of the Supreme Being.
Even a highly evolved soul, such as
King Yudhishthira, was quite surprised
to learn from sage Narada that his (King’s)
cousin brother, Krishna, is the Supreme
Being in human form (BP 7.15.79). The
moral is that the Supreme cannot be
known without one’s good Karma
and His personal grace.

But great souls, O Arjuna, who possess
divine qualities (See 16.01-03), know
Me as the imperishable and as the origin
of beings, and worship Me with single-mindedly.
(9.13)

Some worship Me by acquiring and propagating
Self-knowledge. Others worship the infinite
as one in all (or non-dual), as the
master of all (or dual), and in various
other ways. (9.15)

EVERYTHING
IS A MANIFESTATION OF THE ABSOLUTE

I am the ritual, I am the sacrifice,
I am the offering, I am the herb, I
am the mantra, I am the clarified butter,
I am the fire, and I am the oblation.
(See also 4.24). I am the supporter
of the universe, the father, the mother,
and the grandfather. I am the object
of knowledge, the sacred syl­lable
‘AUM’, and the Vedas. I
am the goal, the supporter, the Lord,
the witness, the abode, the ref­uge,
the friend, the origin, the dissolution,
the foundation, the substra­tum,
and the immutable seed. (See also 7.10
and 10.39) (9.16-18)

I give heat. I send, as well as withhold,
the rain. I am immortality, as well
as death. I am also both the eternal
Absolute and the temporal, O Arjuna.
(The Supreme Being has become everything.
See also 13.12) (9.19)

ATTAIN SALVATION
BY DEVOTIONAL LOVE

The doers of the rituals prescribed
in the Vedas, the drinkers of the nectar
of devotion, whose sins are cleansed,
worship Me by doing good deeds for gain­ing
heaven. As a result of their meritorious
deeds, they go to heaven and enjoy celestial
sense pleasures. (9.20)

They again return to the mortal world---after
enjoying the wide world of heavenly
pleasures---upon exhaustion of the fruits
of their good Karma. Thus, following
the injunctions of the Vedas, persons
working for the fruit of their actions
take repeated births and deaths. (See
also 8.25) (9.21)

I personally take care of both the spiritual
and material wel­fare of those ever-steadfast
devotees who always remember and adore
Me with single-minded contemplation.
(9.22)

Wealth and happiness automatically
come to the righteous person, without
that person asking for it, as the river
automatically goes to the ocean (TR
1.293.02). Material wealth
naturally comes to the virtuous person
as river water naturally flows downstream
(VP 1.11.24). Lord
Rama said: I always take care of those
who worship Me with unswerving devotion
as a mother takes care of her child
(TR 3.42.03). According to Shankara,
this verse means gaining that which
one does not possess (Yoga) and preserving
what one has (Kshema). Yoga and Kshema
could be also interpreted as transcendental
knowledge (Jnana) and the ultimate state
of Self realization (Vijnana), and path
and the goal.

The wor­ship of the Mother form
of the Krishna is encouraged for the
seekers of health, wealth, and knowledge.
One who always thinks of God is considered
to be God-conscious, Krishna-conscious,
or Self-realized. Lord personally takes
charge of one who remembers Him single-mindedly.
His nature is to reciprocate the love
of His pure devotees by fulfilling their
desires.

The Source knows and gives all of what
you need. Nothing is difficult to obtain
when I am pleased, but a pure devotee
whose mind is exclusively fixed upon
Me does not ask anything from Me, including
salvation, but the opportunity to serve
Me life after life (BP 6.09.48). The
Lord chooses much better things for
you if you let Him be your guide by
surrendering unto His will.

O Arjuna, even those devotees who worship
the deities with faith, they also worship
Me, but in an improper way. (See also
13.25) (9.23)

The ancient Vedic scriptures have authorized
the deity form of worship of God because
it cleanses the heart, mind, and the
subtle and gross senses of the worshiper,
and increases as well as sustains one's
faith in God. Deity worship is fruitful
if one worships the only One who manifests
through the deity with firm faith. Worship
without this understanding is called
improper way of worship in this verse.

There is only one Absolute; the wise
call Him and wor­ship Him by various
names (RV 1.164.46). The worship of
the divine as Mother is also found in
the Vedas where the sage longs to be
a child of the divine Mother (RV 7.81.04).
The Absolute has also manifested as
celestial controllers---for sustaining
creation---who are one with many names
and forms (RV 3.55.01). The Supreme
Being is a woman, a man, a boy, a girl,
and an old per­son. He exists in
all forms (AV 10.08.27). All deities,
male or female, are representations
of one divine. He is One in many and
many in One. One should not worship
material objects in creation, such as
family, friends, and possessions; but
one can worship the creator in material
objects because God is in all rocks.
The Vedic principle of celestial controllers
does not diversify the Unity, but unifies
the diversity. Deities are just
different names and forms, or symbolic
representa­tions, of the energies
of nature.

The deity is a conduit through which
the water of di­vine grace can be
made to flow by the power of conviction---expressed
through worship and prayer---from the
reservoir of infinite conscious­ness.
However, the seedling of faith becomes
the fruit tree of convic­tion only
when it comes out of the ground of Self-knowledge
and survives the frost of logic. We
evoke the potential energy of cosmic
forces by con­templating deities
with faith. Faith really works. The
power of faith in rituals or spiritual
science works in the same manner as
a placebo works by the power of faith
in medical science. However, it is not
very easy for intellectuals to develop
a deep faith in the power of rituals.
Joseph Campbell said: “The
images of myth are reflections of the
spiritual potentialities of everyone
of us, and deities stimulate divine
love.”

All different types of worship
reach One and the same Lord as waters
of all different rivers reach the same
ocean. External worship with
the help of an image or a symbolic representation
of God is necessary for beginners. It
is very helpful to develop a personal
relationship with a deity of one's choice
who can be consulted and counted upon
for help during moments of crisis in
life. Those who are against deity worship
do not understand that all-pervading
God can also exist within a deity. Such
persons limit His supremacy.

The next step is the chanting of hymns
and the repetition (Japa) of divine
names. The next stage is medi­tation.
The vision of Spirit-consciousness,
or beholding the Spirit manifested through
every individual, is the highest spiritual
develop­ment.

Because I---the Supreme Being---alone
am the enjoyer of all sacrificial services
and Lord of the universe. But people
do not know My true transcendental nature.
Therefore, they fall into the repeated
cycles of birth and death. (9.24)
Worshippers of the celestial controllers
go to the celestial controllers; the
worshippers of the ancestors go to the
ancestors; and the worshippers of the
ghosts go to the ghosts; but My devotees
come to Me, and are not born again.
(See also 8.16) (9.25)

It is said that whatever one worships,
that destination one attains; or one
becomes what one regularly thinks of.

LORD ACCEPTS
AND EATS THE OFFERING OF LOVE AND DEVOTION

Whosoever offers Me a leaf, a flower,
a fruit, or water with devotion, I accept
and eat the offering of devotion by
the pure-hearted. (9.26)

The Lord is hungry for love and the
feeling of devo­tion. A dedicated
heart, not complicated rituals, is needed
to please God and obtain His grace.
One should consume food after offering
it to God first. God eats the food offerings
to please His devotees. The mind be­comes
purified when one eats food after offering
it first to the Lord.

O Arjuna, whatever you do, whatever
you eat, whatever you offer as oblation
to the sacred fire, whatever charity
you give, whatever auster­ity you
perform---dedicate everything as an
offering to Me. (See also 12.10, 18.46)
(9.27)

It is neither necessary, nor sufficient
that one should follow a certain routine,
ritualistic offering of worship everyday
to please God. Whatever one does per
one's nature by body, mind, senses,
thought, intellect, action, and speech,
should be done with the thought that
it is all for God only (BP 11.02.36).
People have achieved liberation by performing
only one type of devotional service,
such as chanting, hearing, remembering,
serving, meditating, renouncing, and
surrendering. The love for fame is a
fire that can destroy all yoga and austerity.
The illusory power of divine kinetic
energy (Maya) is formidable. It betrays
everyone, including the yogis, unless
one does everything for God.

You shall become free from the
bondage, both good and bad, of Karma
and come to Me by the yoga of renunciation.
(9.28)

The Self is present equally in all beings.
There is no one hateful or dear to Me.
But those who worship Me with love and
devotion are very close to Me, and I
am also very close to them. (See also
7.18) (9.29)

Lord Krishna says here that
one should not be partial, but should
treat a faithful or a helpful person
better then others. Lord is
neither merciless nor partial to anyone.
Lord loves no one and hates no one,
but does give special preference to
His devotees. He said: My devotees do
not know anything else but Me, and I
do not know anyone else but them (BP
9.4.68). To protect His devotee is His
nature. Lord goes out of way to help
and fulfill the desires of His sincere
devotees. He also reciprocates by always
thinking of those devotees who always
think of Him and saves such devotees
from all calamities and major problems.
The best path of perfection---suitable
to the individual's nature---is shown
to His sincere devotees.

God’s grace is just for
the asking. The doors of devo­tion
are open to all, but the faithful and
the dedicated ones who burn the incense
of devotion in the temple of their heart
become one with the Lord. A
father loves all his children equally,
but the child who is de­voted to
the father is more dear although he
or she may not be very rich, intelligent,
or powerful. Similarly a devotee is
very dear to the Lord. Lord does not
give everything

---such as both material and spiritual
wealth---to everybody. One attains perfection---by
the grace of God---through the prac­tice
of spiritual discipline. Both self-effort
and grace are needed. According to the
Vedas, the gods (Devas) help only those
who help themselves (RV 4.33.11). Yogananda
said: God chooses those who choose Him.

The grace of God, like rays of the sun,
is equally available to all, but due
to free will one must open the window
of the heart to let the sunshine come
in. It is said that divinity is our
birth­right; however, self-effort
in the right direction is also necessary
to re­move hindrances brought about
by our own past deeds. The grace of
God comes expeditiously through our
own effort. It is also believed that
self-effort, fate and divine grace are
one and the same. The grace of God is
equally available to all of us, but
one has to collect it by personal effort.
The distribution of divine grace is
also controlled by the same law of Karma
that runs the affairs of God. There
is no other impartial way to distribute
divine grace. Self-effort promotes the
process of God-realization as manure
promotes growth of plants.

THERE IS
NO UNFORGIVABLE SINNER

If even the most sinful person resolves
to worship Me with single-minded, loving
devotion, such a person must be regarded
as a saint be­cause of making the
right resolution. (9.30)

There are no unforgivable sins or sinners.
The fire of sincere repentance burns
all sins. Yogananda used to say: A saint
is the sinner who never gave up. Every
saint had a past, and every sinner has
a future. Acts of austerity, service,
and charity, done without any motive,
can atone for sinful acts, as darkness
vanishes after sun­rise (MB 3.207.57).
If a devotee keeps his or her mind focused
on God, there will be no room for sinful
desires to mature, and a sinful person
soon becomes righteous if he resolves
never to commit the sin again as mentioned
below:

Such a person soon becomes righteous
and attains everlasting peace. Be aware,
O Arjuna, that My devotee never fails
to reach the goal. (See also 6.40-43)
(9.31)

PATH OF
DEVOTIONAL LOVE IS EASIER

Anybody---including women, merchants,
laborers, and the evil-minded---can
attain the Supreme Abode by just taking
refuge in Me, O Arjuna. (See also 18.66)
(9.32)

A spiritual discipline should
be commensurate with the faith, interest,
and ability of the person. Some
may be disqualified or not ready to
receive the knowledge of the Supreme,
but the path of devo­tion is open
to all. No one is disqualified due to
caste, creed, gender, or mental capacity
to receive devotion. Most saints and
sages consider the path of devotion
the easiest and the best of all paths.

Then it should be very easy for the
wise and devout sages to attain the
Supreme Being. Therefore, having obtained
this joyless and transitory human life,
one should always worship Me with loving
devotion. (9.33)

The living entity, under the spell of
illusory power of divine kinetic energy
(Maya), goes through the re­peated
cycles of birth and death. The good
Lord, out of His grace, gives to a living
entity a human body that is very difficult
to obtain. The human body, created in
the image of God, is the jewel of creation
and has the ca­pacity to deliver
the soul from the net of transmigration
to higher levels of existence. All other
forms of life on the earth, except human
life, are devoid of higher intellect
and reasoning.

As a tiger
suddenly comes and takes away a lamb
from the flock, similarly death takes
away a person unexpectedly. Therefore,
spiritual discipline and righteous deeds
should be performed without waiting
for a proper time to come (MB 12.175.13).
The goal and obli­gation of human
birth are to seek Him. The search for
God should not wait. One should continue
this search parallel with other duties
of life; otherwise, it may be too late.
Lord Krishna concludes this chapter
by giving practical ways to engage people
in His devotional service below:

Always think
of Me, be devoted to Me, worship Me,
and bow down to Me. Thus, uniting yourself
with Me by setting Me as the supreme
goal, you shall certainly come to Me.
(9.34)